Last weekend: change of plans

Last weekend, I was supposed to head for the mountains for a youth retreat. All 50 is us were looking forward to skiing, snow boarding, snow-tubing, a great speaker and fellowship. But, the weather had other plans. Major icy roads, a mountain, and a full-length school bus carrying 50 teenagers aren't a good combo. So, we decided to postpone the weekend. And, it happened to be quite providential. A family in our church had a house fire on the Friday we planned to leave. The scene was very devastating. Here is the newspaper article if you want to read.

So, many of us were able to help this family on that Saturday. It was truly a blessing to see the outpouring of church family, neighbors, family. And, it was a blessing to see the testimony of the family whose house had burned. This family is not just an ordinary family: they have 3 biological children and 7 adopted children. Both parent's are gifted musically and theatrically. They both teach at a local Christian school. They own a company called Theater and Kids. They lead the music (choir, band, hand bells) at our church. I could go on and on . . . I really think I need to submit them to Extreme Makeover: Home Edition. This family is a testimony to God's grace. The church has really rallied around them. They have a home to live in for the next few months, and all the furnishings have graciously been provided. So, needless to say, that weekend was a blessing in disguise . . . and many of the youth had a chance to bond in a way they hadn't imagined.

Senior High Girls: Welcoming Little Lina

For those of you who don't know, I (Mary) work with the senior high girls from our church. This is a passion of mine -- I love working with younger girls. I think a big reason is because I personally went through lots of rough times in my teeage years, but also because I would have loved to have had a woman youth leader, much less a youth leader. There is no doubt that a handful of women were pivotal in my teenage years, but it wasn't a youth leader at church (because we didn't have one). Needless to say, during college and especially since college, I've enjoyed working with teenage girls . . . and college girls.

Anyways, this past week, I planned for the senior high girls to make a meal for Shanna from our church. Shanna had led these girls prior to me, but had to step down because she just had a baby girl (her 4th child, but first girl). So, I thought this meal would be fun to keep a secret from Shanna. I thought the girls should prepare it, and then we would all deliver it and surprise her.

Well, that's what we did . . . well, sort of . . . with lots of laughs and a few bumps along the way. The meal was a little tricky because Shanna's family has a number of allergies, but we came up with: Pork Tenderloin with Apples, Roasted Potatoes, Green Beans, . . . and we tried to make non-dairy pumpkin muffins . . . but, we quickly realized no one (absolutely no one) should endure the torture of eating them. We also gave them sorbet for dessert.

The meal came together pretty quickly. I had girls at each "station" working on different things. And, we got to chat while everything was cooking. The muffin station had a little breakdown . . . accidentally way too much baking soda got put into the bowl, and in the process of taking that out, all the sugar came out too. This was not realized however until the muffins were going in the oven. Oops. The muffins were awful, but we had fun trying to get parents/siblings to eat them when they came to pick up the girls. Ha, ha.

Transporting the food was relatively non-eventful, except for all the pork juice than poured all over Hannah's leg. She really sacrificed for the team. We smelled Hannah the rest of the night. She said it was time for those jeans to get a washing though. Oh, and not to mention that pork juice had dripped onto our new carpet on the way out . . . and my wonderful husband scrubbed it out.

Here are some pictures:

The card we all signed for Shanna
The infamous muffin station
Hannah and Lauren - chopping
Steph contemplating the muffins
Kellie, happy as a clam - snapping peas
We knew there was NO WAY Steph was gonna do this
What is happening in my kitchen? I knew I couldn't turn my back and leave them with the camera!
Kellie and Lauren
My wonderful husband scrubbing the carpet (the girls found this quite humerous)
Seeing little Lina made our night
Happy Mama and her baby girl

Happy Birthday Kim!

Tonight, we celebrated my step-mom's birthday! We had fun chatting, and eating, and chatting, and eating. I actually made a lot of "firsts" tonight: Pork and Apples in a Wine sauce (by Chaddsford Winery), Spinach Gratin (by Barefoot Contessa), and Tiramisu (from Gourmet Magazine). We also had Tastefully Simple's beer bread. We love that stuff -- it's so easy and always a hit. Any other beer bread fans out there?

Dad and Kim
The Tiramisu
Now you can call us the braces sisters -- or not. Poor us :)

In the nick of time . . .

In the nick of time is right! I drove by our old house today, . . . and here it is . . . oh, wait . . . it's not there!

It just got bull-dozed today. Wow. As much as we love our new house, it's sad to see our old house go. We had our first year of marriage there, and lots of memories. I had a ton of flashbacks as I pulled into the driveway. (The picture above is from the driveway, even though it doesn't look it a bit). I remembered little things like hedging the bushes, planting the flowers, having devotions and breakfast with Brian every morning, having friends over, sitting outside, watching sunsets over our "wheat field". (The tree on the left of the picture was the big tree in our back yard).

It reminded me that a house is just a house; it's all about the people in it. They make the house a home. And, as I looked at the rubble of our old house, it made me so thankful for how God provides, and for the new house we have over our head.

Just for old-times sake, some pics of the old house . . .

The old house, when we moved into it (I couldn't find a more recent picture -- we tore out that huge bush-tree)
We miss that 2-car garage Our old front flower bed Our old living room

And for our NEW HOUSE . . . which we really do love.

Coconut Chicken

I must say this was yum. I know coconut is not a favorite among some, but not in our house. As we were eating it, I said the Brian, "I'm so glad you like coconut, . . . because I love it. We might have problems if you didn't like it."




Coconut Chicken

2/3 cup Bisquick
2/3 cup flaked coconut
1/2 tsp. paprika
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk
2 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (I cut them smaller)
1/4 cup butter, melted

Heat oven to 375 degrees.
Mix Bisquick, coconut, paprika, and salt. Set aside.
Mix milk and mustard
Dip chicken in milk mixture; coat with coconut mixture.
Place in ungreased pan/dish and drizzle with butter.
Bake 35-40 minutes.

*I made a dipping sauce for it too: apricot jam and dijon mustard.
*I served with Carribean rice, mangos, and salad.

My little corner on the world

My desk. I like it. It's a happy place.

AC, Apes, Beebs, Jenna, Mer, . . . your pics are there. AC, notice the little red Bible you gave me -- I use it all the time.

Teeth are overrated

Well, I guess that’s an exaggeration, . . . I really do care a lot about teeth . . . but, honestly are these braces worth all the pain and tears? Tears? Yes, today it was tears. So, some of you know I got oral surgery last Saturday. The above picture Brian took before we left for surgery. Thankfully, it ended up being less intensive than anticipated.
(For those who like a visual - this is the outside one)
I got temporary anchor devices (TADs), which look like little metal nobs in my gum – both on my top right gum, one on the outside gum, and one on the inside gum (like where my tongue is). Novicane is a wonderful thing, and it did the trick. I did feel a good deal of pressure though (because the TADs screw into the bone, like a normal screw), which led to headaches for a day or two.

Ok, so today was the trip to the orthodontist where they planned to chain from the brackets (on my teeth) up to these little TADs. Splendid, simply splendid (can you sense the sarcasm?). So, I get my old wire off for starters. And, you must realize that the wires I have are super heavy-duty and have all sorts of bends in them (to speed up the process). So, getting the wire out takes at least 10-15 minutes. Then, on with the new wire, which ends up requiring the doctor to come over and do some major tugging and pulling (because these wires don’t like to go into my molar brackets). So, whenever the hygienist (I guess you’d call her, who is wonderfully nice) does anything near my top right gum where my surgery was, I flinch because that area is really sensitive. She had to do lots of wire snipping in that area (which jerks the wire). After about the 9th snip (of heavy-duty wire, mind you) tears start streaming down the corners of my eyes. I hit the brink. I held my composure pretty well, until she asked, “Are you doing okay?” By, now a few more tears come, out of embarrassment. And, then I realize I need to ask to have a break and go to the bathroom. (Thankfully, she was almost done). After giving myself a pep-talk in the bathroom and pulling myself together – not so well – I headed back out. We then went to a separate room where I had the joy of learning where and how to put on my rubber bands. The hygienist was really so nice, and she got me some Motrin after giving me a little pep-talk. I suppose is really could have been worse.

I knew today was going to be a tough visit . . . but, not that tough. I’m living on pain-reliever and I think I can feel almost every nerve in my teeth. These teeth better be worth it . . . :)
Did I mention I have a wonderful husband who knows how to cheer me up?

New Year's Day

Today, we enjoyed the afternoon with family friends. My (Mary's) family would vacation with these other families and always celebrated New Year's together growing up. It was great to see them all; we don't have a chance to get together very often. We chatted, ate, did a gift exchange, and reflected on the last year together. There are quite a few in the group my age who now have children. Ashley is one of them: she and her husband have Cady and Emily. Pete is another one of them: he and his wife have Ryne.
(Above: Brian, Me, Cady (I'm holding), Joy, and Emily

Me, Cady, and Joy
Ryne
Emily
Cady
Ashley and Me

Our First Anniversary

We can't believe our first anniversary has come already! It feels like we've been married forever in many ways, and then it's also crazy to think about all the wedding planning that went on this time last year. God has faithfully brought us through a year of marriage, and it was fun looking back the past year. We honestly just keep growing in our love for each other more and more . . .

We stayed a night down in Philly for our anniversary night. We stayed at the Radisson Warwick -- it was so great! And, we enjoyed some museums, shopping, lots of walking, good food, relaxation, and great time together! There's so much fun stuff to do in Philly! I could talk a lot about the Rodin Museum and all the spiritual imagery in the sculptures . . . but, that's for another time.

The hotel lobby
Our room
The strawberries and cheese platter that Brian's dad had ordered us
Our wedding cake, champagne, and flutes we just received from Brad
A view of the city from the Art Museum steps
There was a Renoir exhibit
The Rodin Museum
The Thinker
Us
The courtyard of the museum
The Gates of Hell, by Rodin

Christmas Morning Brunch

We had such a wonderful Christmas season with family and friends! On Christmas morning, we had a brunch at our house for Brian's dad, my dad, my step-mom, and my little sister. We of course had far too much food, but it was great! Brian made his belgian waffles and home fries, and I made a sausage pepper quiche and some bacon. Kim brought a fruit salad, and we had some banana bread too. And, what's Christmas breakfast without eggnog -- so, we had some of that too. Then, we opened some presents, and before we knew it 4 hours had passed!


After our brunch, we hurried to my mom's parent's house for Christmas dinner. We were actually going to have Christmas dinner at our house in addition to brunch, but since my grandma was back in the hospital with pnemonia, they needed it closer to their house. So, we enjoyed a great Christmas dinner there, and then some time visiting my grandma at the hospital. Family is such a blessing -- it was wonderful!